Embedded in a worldwide network Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America continuously strives to remain at the forefront of successful automotive research and development. MBRDNA is headquartered in Silicon Valley, California, with key areas of Autonomous Driving, Advanced Interaction Design, Digital User Experience, Machine Learning, Customer Research, and Open Innovation. In Farmington Hills, Michigan, the focus is on Powertrain and eDrive technology as well as in Long Beach, where the teams test durability of the latest driver assistant and telematic systems. The Digital Hub in Seattle focusses on developing a cloud architecture and building out the cloud platform for the next generation of connected car services. The Testing and Regulatory Affairs Division in Ann Arbor and the Advanced Vehicle Design in Carlsbad complete the competence center.
Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America (MBRDNA) is a place for exceptional people with outstanding ideas and the absolute willingness to bring them to life. With R&D facilities all over the U.S., you will be surrounded by engineers, software developers, and designers pushing technology boundaries to shape the future of our industry.
We are not just about cars: we are also about the latest and greatest software, cutting-edge technology, and groundbreaking innovation. Here at MBRDNA, you create a digital ecosystem around cars, you design a language between humans and machines, you make a car even more intelligent - you make the new reality for cars. We have an open and flexible environment to allow you to push boundaries and actively change the experience for millions of drivers around the world.
We are seeking a Manager to lead the testing and validation of our infotainment systems and connected car applications. In this role, you will be managing a large team with diverse responsibilities. A successful candidate will need to be able to learn and adapt quickly in a fast-paced environment. The ideal candidate will assure the team delivers on the expectations established internally and with partner teams across the globe, while looking to find ways to improve our processes, tools, and path for the future. As part of this expectation, this leader will utilize the team's local-market expertise to formulate and propose changes needed within our infotainment and connected car mobile applications to best meet the changing needs of the North American customer.
Job Responsibilities:
- A successful leader in this role will be able to:
- Enable the development of infotainment features specific to the North American market through identification of US needs, testing and validation process, with fast-feedback to system developers. This includes evaluation and validation of speech command UI, head unit navigation system and live-services testing, and the new artificial intelligence features of our latest systems.
- Assure end-to-end connectivity of the vehicle connectivity to the cloud environment, understanding all relevant components that contribute to a connected car. This includes all back-end reliability monitoring and reporting.
- Lead are connectivity engineers to test and validate robust communication between the vehicle and mobile network providers focused on performance in our North American Market.
- Manage the release management, testing, and defect management for connected car features, involved the validation of the systems from an end-to-end standpoint
- Responsibilities of this manager role include:
- Review project plans, validating resource estimates, work effort, dependencies needed to achieve project goals, identifying risks and guiding mitigation plans, effectively engaging, communicating and collaborating with project management and stakeholders at all levels. Ensure the team promptly communicates technical and quality related issues obtained from the testing, validation and verification process.
- Establish, maintain, and strengthen helpful and trustful working relationships with all sponsor teams by coordinating weekly, monthly, quarterly meetings and on-site visits.
- Make sure the team is measuring, reviewing, and improving performance metrics and reporting for key areas.
- Track employee performance and develop a proposal for the personal development with each team member, which ensures the enhancement of personal/career goals development of team members.
- Strive to stay informed of industry trends, new technologies, and competitor performance for connected car and infotainment systems and ensure the team performs US-market research and reports on US market-specific needs.
- Communication and Reporting:
- Experience communicating within a global company. Ability to reach across time zones to request support and resolve issues with RD teams in Germany and India especially.
- Keep regular communication with team members in order to stay informed on potential shifting timelines and software package readiness. Adapt updating, testing, and test scheduling accordingly.
- Ability to deliver high-quality engineering reports that are data driven, with clear summaries of results provided to upper management as needed.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer, Computer Science, or Electric Engineering
- 7+ years of experience
- Experience as a supervisor or manager in the infotainment, cloud services, or connected car applications (or other vehicle software application fields).
- Background in vehicle application testing as well as IT background to understand the backend infrastructure of the connected services.
- Ability to work in a team as well as to organize, develop, and lead a team. Technical knowledge of electronic systems to mentor subordinates.
- Strong understanding and expertise in leadership and team management. Leadership and soft skills to address daily challenges as they arise. A progressive management style emphasizing openness, collaboration, and shared goals.
- High quality & performance aspiration for oneself and the team.
- Understanding of importance of work/life balance for team members, and knowledge of effective strategies to maintain balance.
- Ability to travel internationally and domestically for 20% of the time. This could include test trips that require overnight and/or weekend travel.
- Experience in agile collaboration models (e.g. Scrum) and demonstrated ability to effectively setup and steer distributed developments including necessary integration and release steps.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Previous Automotive OEM or Tier1 supplier work experience.
- Experience leading/managing teams, developing strategies, execution of projects.
- Experience with embedded software and automotive solutions.
- Internal candidates must be Potential Validation for Level 4 (PV44 confirmed).
The successful candidate’s starting pay will be determined based on a wide range of factors, including, but not limited to, job-related education, skills, and experience, geographic location, and market conditions. The current salary range for this position is as follows and may be modified in the future: $155,600-$198,500.
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Why should you apply?
Here at MBRDNA, you create digital ecosystems around cars, you design a language between humans and machines, you make a car even more intelligent - you make the new reality for cars. We have an open and flexible environment to allow you to push boundaries, join MBRDNA and design your future.
Benefits for Full-Time* Employees Include:
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their families
• 401(k) with employer match
• Up to 18 company-paid holidays
• Paid time off (unlimited for salaried employees), sick time, and parental leave
• Tuition assistance program
• Wellness/Fitness reimbursement programs
• Vehicle lease subsidy or company car (for eligible employees only)
* Internships excluded from Full-Time Employee benefits
MBRDNA is an equal opportunity employer (EOE) and strongly supports diversity in the workforce. MBRDNA only accepts resumes from approved agencies who have a valid Agency Agreement on file. Please do not forward resumes to our applicant tracking system, MBRDNA employees, or send to any MBRDNA location. MBRDNA is not responsible for any fees or claims related to receipt of unsolicited resumes.
Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America, Inc.
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